Boys Over Beasts
by Amelia Ardmore
Summary: An enchanted prince, a persistent weed, and one fate bound by a red thread.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Goblets clinking in merry toasts, a great hall blazing in fiery warmth, every dish imaginable laid out upon a magnificent table, and at table's head, presiding over all, there sits a young prince whose demeanor couldn't match his surroundings less.

"Yo, Sojiro!" he shouts, "I can't stop thinking about that commoner who had the audacity to splash mud on my boots. I dare say breaking his nose wasn't enough."

A dark-haired man of noble birth pauses in the managing of his female companions, and replies "Oh let it go! The night is young, there is women and drink, why fret when all a man needs lies before you?"

"Hear hear!" enjoins a second companion. "When will you grow out of these tantrums?" he sighs as he tucks a lock of wavy hair behind one ear. He turns to the tall figure of a bard leaning sleepily against the fireplace, "Rui, quit nodding off and play a song to put our prince here in good humor!"

With cat-like grace, the once dozing bard stretches, produces his violin, and begins a mournful dirge.

"Don't test me, you bastards," the prince grinds through his teeth. "Maybe I'll send him one of my scarlet roses, and then we'll see how he likes a reign of terror." His empty eyes send a cold shiver down the spines of his companions.

Thus occupied, our prince fails to notice the ominous dancing of the shadows on the walls, the hollow tick tick ticking of the grandfather clock, and his ancient housekeeper approaching his side.

"Sire, there is an old woman at the kitchen door, demanding to see you."

"You're one to talk, you old hag. Why bring this to me?"

"She's very persistent, and she…," there is a pause as the housekeeper weighs her words, "She mentioned your mother."

At that the young prince leaps up, brows furrowed in anger. "I'll deal with her myself, Tama," he growls as he storms out of the hall and through his castle. Maids scatter like autumn leaves as he barrels through the kitchen and flings open the door to a gust of wind and snow.

There before him, in the frozen garden, is an ugly old woman in a coarse common cloak. A quick glance reveals a back bent over from years of hardship, warts and scars dotting her mottled face, and skeletal hands reaching out to him.

"Gah! Don't touch me, bitch!" he cries, smacking her arms away.

Still she implores, "Please, won't you help a poor soul on such a cold night?" She reaches into her cloak to pull out a single, red rose. "All I can offer is this flower, please take it and give me a little food and shelter."

"I have greenhouses full of finer flowers! What have I to do with a commoner like you?" he spits. "Get out of my sight!"

Straightening suddenly, the old woman flings her cloak off her back. The prince's eyes widen in disbelief as grey hair turns to a rich chestnut brown, wrinkled skin becomes glassy smooth, cold lips are reddened, and before him stands a beautiful and terrifying enchantress.

"Shizuka Todo!" exclaims the prince, dropping to a respectful knee, "I didn't recognize you. If I had known, there is no way I would dare cross such a one as you. Forgive me!"

"Vincit qui se vincit!"* she cries, raising her hand skyward through the swirling snow. "Oh, pitiful creature with no love in your heart! Since birth I have watched you grow violent and wild. Today be revealed and see yourself as you truly are."

Upraised arm then flying earthwards, conducting unseen magics in a series of intricate motions she proclaims:

"Beast within, now beast without.

Continue in this lonely drought,

'til common weed cracks heart of stone

and deigns to offer up its own.

And for three nights beloved behold,

Not with eye of flesh, but with eye of soul."

A crack of blinding light flashes across the sky, and all is plunged into darkness. 

*He conquers who conquers himself.


	2. The Weed

Chapter 1: The Weed

Tsukushi Makino awoke to sunlight streaming over her face. _It's a perfect day for the festival,_ she thought with a happy sigh. Throwing off the covers and setting her feet on the chilly floor, she glanced over at her sleeping sister. Sakurako's snores filled their small room. Giving her a gentle shove to quell the noise, Tsukushi quietly slipped on a simple shift and plaited her hair in two braids. She paused for a moment and looked closely at herself in the looking glass on their wall (one of the little luxuries that came of having such a pretty and popular sister). Though never described as a beauty, Tsukushi appreciated her straightforward appearance.

Since their family had relocated to the town of Eitoku after the death of her mother, she had desired only one thing, a quiet life, free of the melodramatics that her mother had delighted in. Unfortunately, as Sakurako was making it her business to discover, Eitoku seemed to be a place ripe for the dramatic. Someone like her sister could make friends and enemies wherever she went here, and the people of Eitoku seemed to take these roles to the extreme. Rare was the day that Sakurako wasn't either showered with gifts by her male suitors, or roughly ambushed by jealous detractors. Luckily, she also had their mother's penchant for wriggling out of tight spots. Tsukushi, on the other hand, never had to test such limits as her plain face served her well when it came to blending into the background.

"Two years," she told herself each day, "Just two more years, and then father will find me an apprenticeship, and I will leave this place." To say Tsukushi had never really warmed to Eitoku would be putting it lightly. She despised them. The townsfolk had mercurial tendencies, and it seemed that someone was always being run out of town. The only comfort she found in this place was the natural wildness of the close-set woods bordering the town, but even that refuge was cast in shadows due to the townspeople's prattling tales of "The Beast".

She made to leave, hesitated, then turned back to the small stand that served as their dressing table. Two red ribbons lay forgotten from when Sakurako had decided that red was "Not her color."

_Today IS the festival,_ Tsukushi mused while fingering the soft silk of the ribbons. Before she could question herself, she untied the strings she usually used to bind her braids and replaced them with the small frivolities.

With that, she padded to the kitchen to prepare the morning meal. The early hour had always been a good friend to Tsukushi. She worked hard to complete her chores in the morning to make time to wander the forest in search of herbs. Ever since she was a little girl, she had accompanied her woodcutter father on his journeys into the woods. On this day, she would return on her own through town to attend the annual Harvest Festival.

A rumpled boy emerged from the second room of the cottage and began to set the table for the morning meal.

"Susumu!" Tsukushi exclaimed, "You will be late for school! Quickly eat your porridge and go!" She pulled the bubbling cauldron off the heat of the wood stove and hastily lobbed a glob at his bowl.

"Oh, Sis, you worry to much!" Susumu shot back while shoveling down hot cereal. "Remember fun Tsukushi? I miss her."

A wooden spoon sticky with porridge dealt a playful whack on Susumu's head. "Someone has to take care of things around here, Susumu. Otherwise where would you be? Late and hungry. Now go!"

Susumu collected his school things and ran out the door laughing. Tsukushi's heart warmed to see her brother so light.

—

Later when Tsukushi was trudging her father's well-worn path through the woods, she contemplated Susumu's teasing words. Normally his younger-brother comments would be spoken and disappear simultaneously, but they strangely resonated with a letter she had received from her friend in the last town where they had lived. Yuki was an excellent correspondent, with both a sympathetic nature and a lively slant for storytelling. She never tired of hearing Tsukushi's stories about the frustratingly fickle people of Eitoku, and of the place's mysteries. In her most recent letter, though, Yuki had asked if Eitoku had changed Tsukushi. "When you lived here, you were always standing up for others, but it sounds like that part of you has gone into hiding. To be frank, your letters have become increasingly bitter towards Eitoku, but it doesn't sound like you've done anything to change it."

These were the words that hung heavy on Tsukushi's heart. She recollected moments when she had witnessed injustice in the town and remained silent. _Maybe I actually hate myself worst of all_, she thought.

—

Returning from the woods before the sun had set, Tsukushi wandered into town. The time spent studying plants in the forest had proved fruitful, and in addition to her usual herbs, she also had procured a pocket full of stinging nettle to make tea. Her father had almost stumbled right into a thick patch of it, and Tsukushi's quick reflexes had saved him from a painful burn.

As she walked through town, shops began to emerge, and a figure by the bakery waved.

Tsukushi greeted one of her rare acquaintances. "Hello, Makiko, I hope you're well."

Makiko fell into step and began as if they had already been mid-conversation. "Did you see the fine silks Yuriko plans to wear to the festival? They cost more than I'm able to spend on clothing all year! All I have is my muslin."

Tsukushi felt her eye begin to twitch. _What's wrong with simple fabrics_, she thought. _They are perfectly serviceable._ To Makiko she blandly replied, "Oh?"

"Yes! Though I know you don't care for such things, Tsukushi, they do matter in a place like Eitoku. Why just yesterday I even heard your sister complaining to the milliner about how you practically roam wild in that wood."

"Let's go to the Harvest Festival together," Tsukushi said, hastily changing the subject.

Makiko's face brightened, "Really? You know, I had worried that it was only I who fancied us friends. You're always so reserved…"

There was a tug at Tsukushi's heart then, softly reminiscent of a lost self. "I have always thought of you as a friend!" she said. As if to prove her sentiment, she grabbed Makiko's hand and exclaimed, "The music is starting! The Harvest Festival has begun!" She pulled Makiko along, chasing after the merry strings and rolling tum-tum-tums.

_Maybe,_ Tsukushi thought to herself, _the next two years won't be so bad_.

When they reached the center of town Tsukushi's eyes widened at the sight. Flames leapt up from a roaring bonfire while dancers artfully circled it, weaving around scarecrows schoolchildren had made. One dancer wore a large horned mask covered with the coal black fleece of a fierce ram. Red-painted eyes flashed in the firelight, and bone-carved teeth rattled. Makiko frowned, "They ought not make light of the beast. Though there hasn't been a sighting in so long, why risk his rage?"

Tsukushi, for all her time spent in the woods, had never seen the beast, but had heard the stories. The children of Eitoku were told to keep close, do not stray, or the beast will catch you and eat you up. Farmers had told of barns toppled and flocks ravaged. There had even been some nights when she had heard a ferocious clamor coming from the forest.

"They say he never sleeps. He roams far and wide to fight with any creature he meets – bears, wolves, and the devil himself," Sakurako had said. Tsukushi suspected her sister had a morbid fascination with the mysterious phantom.

Phantom or no, the reality of the beast's mark had already ruined one family since Tsukushi had moved here. After felling much of the forest near their farm, the Kimoto family had woken up to a red rose painted on their door. Rumors swirled through the town that they had brought on the ire of the beast with their trespassing. Their fields were set on fire, their cattle disappeared, but worst of all was the treatment from the town. Almost as one, Eitoku turned on them, equal parts shunning and tormenting them. The family had been so ostracized that they had been forced to pull up stakes and leave town one night.

Tsukushi's heart hardened towards the silly Eitoku townspeople, "Never mind them!" she urged, but Makiko didn't hear as a handsome youth took her hand and whirled her away among the dancers. Left to her own devices, Tsukushi circled the town square, taking in all the sights and smells. She saw Susumu with a pack of schoolfriends, arms loaded with sweet raisin buns. A dancer brushed dangerously close and Tsukushi caught a glimpse of Sakurako looking over her partner's shoulder and impishly sticking her tongue out at Tsukushi. _No doubt that grimace will turn angelic as soon as admiring eyes are upon her, _Tsukushi mused.

As the night wore on, she began to feel painfully aware of her mud-stained hem, and sturdy leather boots. The ladies of the town pranced in the firelight in fine silk and lace. She appeared not to be anyone's choice for a dancing partner, and felt torn between relief and regret. Looking up at the clear night sky, she imagined she twirled among the stars in a celestial dance. The daydream almost made her heavy boots feel light.

Suddenly a cry broke through the music, and Tsukushi anxiously scanned the square in search of the source of the commotion. The dancers broke into a confused run, and a cacophony of snarls and growls exploded on the other side of the bonfire. Before she could even flinch, the massive form of a great beast leapt through the fire and landed in the town square. Tsukushi trembled in fear at the sight of a large creature covered in black curly hair, vicious claws and teeth tearing down everything in its path. With a start, Tsukushi regained the use of her limbs and turned to run, but a familiar cry pierced through her terror. _Makiko!_ She whirled to see that her friend had tripped in her flight, and was helplessly sprawled upon the ground not far from the beast. The creature let out an awful cry and began to approach.

A long-repressed instinct took over Tsukushi and she threw herself between Makiko and the beast.

Glaring fiercely into eyes that the back of her mind noted were not red, but black, she shouted, "Stop! Leave her alone!"

The creature halted in its charge, and snarled. To her utter surprise she heard a low and gravelly voice hiss, "Out of my way, don't you know better than to get between a beast and its prey?"

Astonished that the thing could speak, Tsukushi shrunk away, choking out, "She has done nothing to you... Leave her be." Relentlessly, the beast stalked towards her, and Tsukushi's hand flew instinctively to her pocket. A sharp pain met her, and without a moment to lose, she grabbed a fistful of stinging nettle and hurled it at the beast's face.

Her aim was true, and the beast roared in pain, pawing at its eyes and snout, staggering about in blind anger.

Tsukushi grabbed Makiko's hand. "Run!" she shouted, and the girls tore through the town not daring to look behind them until they had reached its outskirts.

Much too frightened to even begin thinking about returning to town, Makiko followed Tsukushi to the small woodcutter's cottage that lay near the edge of the woods. Susumu and Sakurako greeted them with a tight embrace, while her father bolted the door and put out all the lights. Despite these precautions, sleep evaded Tsukushi, and all night she was haunted by a pair of piercing black eyes.


	3. The Rose

Chapter 2: The Rose

Haruo Makino was not a wise man.

Looking at his life as a whole, one could trace the thread of foolish decisions. From the time he frittered his youth away and refused to learn a trade, to the time he married just to anger his parents. Like the time he rashly left the town that reminded him of his deceased wife, and took up an occupation that he had no aptitude for. And now, at the pinnacle of his foolishness, he had gotten himself lost in the supernatural depths of the woods he had resolved to enter no more.

The previous week's events had shaken the town of Eitoku, and Haruo Makino most of all. He had so far persisted as a woodcutter in the dangerous forest by only skirting the edges of it, unlike his rash daughter who would explore as far as she could. He figured she must have inherited some of his folly. After Eitoku had suffered such a vicious beast attack, for her sake and his own, Haruo had resolved to quit any business involving the woods.

And how does a middle-aged man with no skills, little sense, and a small amount of savings accomplish this? Apparently not through betting on the horses in the next town over, for now Haruo found himself not only penniless, but drunk and in debt, and hopelessly lost. Following the road through the forest at night had seemed a simple task, but not only was Haruo foolish, but also terribly unlucky.

The further he delved into the forest, the darker it got. The tree branches above created an impenetrable roof, blocking out the light of the moon and stars, creating a world that seemed to exist beyond even time itself. Haruo shivered. _How could anything grow in this evil wood?_ he asked the dark.

A blue bird burst from the underbrush, frightening the poor man, knocking him back upon his seat. The sprightly creature cocked its head at him from a nearby branch, then flew away and landed on a distant stone.

Having seen nothing so lively in many hours, the bird almost glowed in the dark woods. Haruo swallowed nervously. This forest was uncanny, the beast being only one of its rumored inhabitants. Yet, the bird seemed friendly enough, and perhaps his plight was so pitiable that this was a guiding spirit sent to aid him.

The bird took off then, and disappeared through the trees.

"No," Haruo cried, "You're meant to guide me! Come back!" He stumbled to his feet and ran in the direction the bird had flown. Branches whipped at his face, roots tangled his feet, and as he burst through a patch of shrubs, he beheld a tall and imposing castle surrounded by a stone wall.

The blue bird poked its head out from a crevice in the wall, gave a chirp, and ducked back inside. Unsure if he should believe his eyes, Haruo followed after numbly. There was just enough space in the crack to squeeze through, and he emerged in a snowy, frozen garden. In awe he surveyed skeletal orchards which had long lost their leaves, frozen fountains, evergreen shrubs heavy with snow, and frozen dirt beds that must have once been home to an army of blooms. He rubbed his eyes. _But…it's still autumn, _he thought.

He began to suspect that nothing more could surprise him, until he entered what seemed to be the centre of the garden, and discovered a rose bush with four large flowers. The red roses were open in full bloom as if the summer sun beamed down, seemingly heedless of the frozen waste surrounding them.

Haruo thought he had never seen anything so beautiful before, and tears suddenly filled his eyes as his daughters came to mind. Whether it was a case of his bad luck, history of foolish decisions, or something else entirely, Haruo reached out and snapped the stem of one of the roses.

Instantly he heard a distant roar come from the castle. Knees buckling, he turned and stumbled out of the garden, through the hole in the wall and dashed into the forest. With his heart in his throat he ran, only slowing once he thought his lungs would burst, and found that he had somehow ended up back on the road he had lost. Filled with fear, he made his way back to Eitoku, barely registering that he still clutched a brilliant, red rose in his hand.


End file.
